Managing your Website: Homepage Tips (Part 3)
Continuing last week’s topic, this week’s post will continue to delve into some simple but effective tips for managing and improving a website’s homepage.
11. Don’t overemphasize the importance of the fold.
Although content above the fold will be immediately available to homepage visitors, website managers should not underestimate the value of content below the line of the fold. For web users, scrolling is a natural part of surfing the internet, and visitors will generally take the time to scroll down unless the immediate webpage contains some errors or flaws that damage its credibility. As such, placing content below the fold can still be effective and should not be discounted.
12. Strategize proactively and reactively.
In general, effective management requires the formulation of both proactive and reactive strategies. In addition to addressing an issue or demand with a thoughtful strategy, web managers must maintain awareness of the competition and the market. With any changes to the market or any exceptional successes of competition, web managers must react to create a strategy which capitalizes on these changes or adjusts the current strategy to take into account the difference circumstances. Doing so will help the website to best satisfy the demands of web visitors, rather than simply forming one strategy and never making any changes.
13. Understand the user.
When designing a website and especially when crafting a homepage, web managers should always attempt to be in the mindset of the user. By understanding which pages visitors will be likely to view, web managers should carefully structure the homepage such that the most relevant and pertinent information is most accessible. If users must wade through several irrelevant or uninteresting pages before finding the desired page, they will be unlikely to return for either products or information.
14. Experiment and observe.
Web management and website creation involves the process of construction rather than the end result. Unlike a project with a beginning and end, web management is always ongoing and requires constant adjustment in order to satisfy an ever-shifting market. With this in mind, web managers should be constantly testing out new ideas and observing the results to determine whether or not a strategy is effective. Through diligent experimentation, managers can put forth new ideas and measure their worth by examination in order to assess what strategy monetizes best and brings the most traffic.
15. Preserve accessibility.
While tinkering with a homepage and testing out new ideas should not be discouraged, web managers should always maintain accessibility for site visitors. Accordingly, provide means for visitors using older browsers, different web clients, or poor connection speeds in order to reach a broader range of consumers.
16. Learn from mistakes and successes.
Not all of a website’s traffic filters through the homepage. In fact, many times consumers will find a website through a specific search which will lead to a landing page. With effective search engine optimization and management, the majority of users may not see or interact with content on the home page. However, this does not devalue a homepage’s worth, as many visitors may navigate to the homepage after finding their desired product or information. While an entry point, the homepage is not the only entry point and as such web management requires constant upkeep of all landing pages.
As an ongoing process, maintaining a homepage will inevitably involve both successes and mistakes. Learning from each and capitalizing on these lessons will ensure that your homepage is both effective and profitable.